Deep Rock Drive puts out live virtual concerts
The Internet has changed the way we buy, listen, see and relate to music. While the music execs fear the word “share,” the strategy of successful music artists today is to find ways for fans to share love for the artists and their music. After all, word-of-mouth is more powerful than most ad campaigns.
For an artist, the best way to get fans to spread the word has been the live concert. But for busy fans, attending a concert involves scheduling carefully, finding child care, finding parking, etc. Then there are the ticket prices. Look at what Elton John was getting for his Pullman shows. Even new acts are getting a bit pricey to see.
For the last few months I have been watching live concerts at Deep Rock Drive ( www.deeprockdrive.com). The company has studios for performances in Las Vegas, and the coding for the Web site is done in Redmond, Wash. It has 10 employees at each site.
While many of the big boys such as MSN, AOL and Yahoo have given us concert footage to watch on the Web – and in some cases, actual live shows – they don’t give us a way to interact in real-time with the artists. Deep Rock Drive does.
“Despite digital technology changing the recorded music industry, live music – where the growth is – hasn’t been changed much with digital technology until now,” said Jeff Henshaw, chief technology officer for Deep Rock.
Before the Internet, MTV filled that role. It was the place you saw video of live performances from your favorite bands. Back in the ‘80s, you could call in to MTV and request or vote for songs.
But MTV moved on to focus on other forms of TV entertainment.
Then the Internet became a universal system of connecting people, and Deep Rock wants to fill the void for music fans with 21st-century tools. It uses a Web site, where one signs up for free, to provide a direct viewing experience of musical artists performing live.
Not just live, but interactive – in the sense the audience can tell the artist how they’re feeling and what they want to hear next.
To date, the bands that have appeared on Deep Rock cover the gamut of genres. Two of the better-known are Kataklysm and In This Moment.
Once one registers at Deep Rock, its site offers the standard social networking tools – creating friends lists, sending messages and such.
Deep Rock also offers users the option of creating a digiposter. That service means users can create a concert or artist poster and spread the word to others. You create the digiposter and e-mail it to friends or post it on a site. Deep Rock says it’s developing an application expressly for Facebook for that and other features.
Once you join Deep Rock Drive, you can petition to determine who will perform live. When the number of requests hits 1,000 votes, Deep Rock calls the artist to try to book a show.
Many concerts are free, like the Friday night series. Others cost $6.99. The Friday night shows are great way to learn how to use the site during a concert, plus get a feeling for the fan community.
The online experience of a Deep Rock Web concert is highly interactive. You can pick from four camera views and control what you watch. Unlike a pay-per-view concert or other net-based shows, a Deep Rock concert can be viewed the way you prefer. If you want to control the camera and only watch the singer, that’s possible.
Other ways you can provide input to the band during the show: voting on the songs to be played, and “shout outs” – typed messages to the band, which other audience members also see. The band usually responds to comments during breaks.
Deep Rock Drive gives you the energy and excitement of attending a live performance without the expense or inconvenience of traditional concert-going. You gain more from a Deep Rock show than you lose.